The Indian Navy and Coast Guard are in the third day of search and rescue operations for six missing fishermen near Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Two Coast Guard ships and helicopters are actively involved based on information provided by a rescued fisherman. The search is concentrated around Gangavaram, the area where the fishing boat disappeared.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is overseeing the operation and has instructed officials to expand the search area. Inspector General of Police Gopinath Jatti is supervising the operations from the Coast Guard’s regional operations center. Despite challenging weather conditions, the search for the missing fishermen continues.
Home Minister V. Anitha and Irrigation Minister K. Atchanaidu are coordinating efforts on the ground. The fishermen, hailing from Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts, set out for fishing on July 1 but failed to return as scheduled on July 4 due to rough sea conditions. Families raised the alarm when they could not contact the fishermen and their mobile phones were off.
Kari Chinna, the owner of the missing boat, was rescued by a merchant vessel on Sunday and airlifted to safety by the Indian Navy. He is currently stable in the hospital and is expected to be discharged soon. Chinna recounted that the boat capsized on Saturday afternoon, and he was adrift at sea for about 18 hours before being rescued. Coastal police have initiated an investigation based on the families’ complaint about the missing fishermen.
